Seminary Vision (6-26-09): Missional

For the next few days, I want to feature one of the IWU Seminary videos, in addition to any other posts I make here.

Today, I want to feature the short video on the Missional orientation of our new MDIV.

The first major 6hr course in our new curriculum is called the Missional Church (there are two shorter 3hr one week intensives prior to this first course: an orientation to the MDIV and to ministry called the Pastor, Church, and World and a second course focusing on the varied layers of Cultural Contexts of Ministry).

The Missional Church course has been designed, not only by Norm Wilson--a career missionary and long time leader among Wesleyan Global partners... not only by an instructional design team including key people like Keith Drury, Russ Gunsalus, Dave Smith, and myself... not only with input from Bible, theology, and church history experts like Steve Lennox, Chris Bounds, and Bud Bence... but it will be taught this Fall by church growth experts Chip Arn (online) and Bob Whitesel (onsite), who have also been heavily involved in the specific form the course has taken online.

Books for the course include such titles as Treasure in Clay Jars, Missional Church, The Missional Leader, and The Master's Plan for Making Disciples. It covers topics like social justice, evangelism, church growth-health-planting-multiplication, and traditional missions. Action research includes assignments assessing where your church is in its life cycle and enabling you to strategize on how to connect with your community and close the "back doors" of your church.

Bible widgets look at a missional hermeneutic, the prophets and social justice, the Great Commandment by way of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Great Commission of Matthew 28, and the expansion of the gospel in the book of Acts. Theology widgets include readings in people like John Wesley and John Calvin. Church history widgets include a look at Constantine and St. Patrick.

Racing to get the online version fully in place by the time the first online course opens August 21!